THEN MIRIAM AND AARON SPOKE OF MOSES IN CONNECTION WITH THE KUSHITE WOMEN WHOM HE HAD TAKEN, FOR HE HAD TAKEN A KUSHITE WOMAN.

(Bamidbar 12:1)

 

The Kushite woman: Tziporah - who was unusual in her deeds and beauty, or an actual Kushite?

It is written: A Shigayon of David, which he sang to the Lord, concerning Kush, a Benjaminite (Psalms 7). Was his name Kush? No, his name was Saul! Rather: just as a Kushite has unusual skin, so Saul was unusual in his deeds. (Rashi ad loc: unusual in his deeds - a perfectly just man). Similarly, you say: in connection with the Kushite women whom he had taken. Was her name Kushite? No, her name was Tziporah! Rather: just as a Kushite woman has unusual skin, so Tziporah was unusual in her deeds (and in her beauty [according to the version of Yalkut Shimoni]). Similarly, you say: And Eved, the Kushite king, heard. Was his name Kushite? No, his name was Tzidkiyah! Rather: just as a Kushite has unusual skin, so Tzidkiyah was unusual in his deeds. Similarly, you say: Are you not like the Kushites to Me, O Israelites? (Amos 9). Was their name Kushites? No, their name was Israel! Rather: Just as the Kushite has unusual skin, so Israel differs from all other nations in their deeds.

(Moed Katan 16b)

 

Then Miriam... spoke, etc. It seemed prideful of him, that he did not want to marry within his own people.*

*Perhaps they thought it was prideful of Moses not to marry an Israelite woman. He could not be faulted for [marrying] Tziporah, since there were no Israelite women in Midian. In the desert, however (perhaps Tziporah had died) he certainly could have found an Israelite woman to marry, even though he was old. Perhaps Aaron and Miriam wanted to give him one of their own daughters, but he took a Kushite woman from amongst those who had joined with Israel when they left Egypt. It is known that Egypt is near Kush, and there might have been Kushites living in Egypt. When they saw what God had done for Israel, they joined them. Now, while they [Miriam and Aaron] were criticizing him for his alleged pride, they also said did He only speak with Moses? Then the Holy Spirit testified that Moses had not acted from pride, but rather that he was very modest. Indeed, we see that he did not apportion any honors to his own sons; perhaps that is why he did not want to marry an Israelite woman, so that his sons would not be able to enlist their relatives' help in lording over the public.

(ShaDaL ad loc)

 

 

When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the Menorah

Avner Roei

The Menorah was preserved in the memory of the generations as the principal symbol of everything related to the Temple. This is well born-out by the RaMBaN's comments on the beginning of our parasha: "...it is known that when the Temple is not in existence and the sacrifices cancelled because of its destruction, the lamps are also not in use, but they only alluded to the [lighting of the] Hanukah lamps of the Hasmoneans, which continues to be practiced in our exile, following the destruction..." The Sages' edict that the "Hanukiyah" lamps be lit during the eight days of Hanukah (in commemoration of the Hasmonean victory and of the annulment of the decrees banning the commandments of the Torah) moved the Menorah from its place in the Temple into the private space of every Jew; the commandment of lighting the Hanukah lamp is required of "each man and his household." This is also perhaps alluded to in the ancient prayer known as Al Ha-Nisim: "and they lit candles in Your holy courtyards" - not in the Menorah's usual place inside the Temple.

Why, of all the vessels of the Tabernacle/Temple, did the Menorah merit such representation?

It appears that the Menorah enjoyed special treatment and a central place already in the beginning o the Second Temple period. In his important work, The History of the Israelite Religion, Prof. Yehezkel Kaufman writes: "Zechariah's vision of the Menorah makes the Menorah the central bearer of the Temple's holiness. It might be that the Ark's absence served as the psychological background for the vision. Now there was no Ark and no Tablets. That must have certainly pained the heart of the community. Zechariah's vision has the Menorah replace the Ark as the symbol of God. The power of that symbol makes the Temple ‘the tie between heaven and earth,' despite the Ark's absence. This symbolism could not change the ritual formulations. It lacked any halakhic consequences, but it had weight in the spheres of aggadah and faith. It is not without significance that the festival of the Second Temple, the festival of the Hasmoneans, is a festival of the Menorah: The lamps of the Menorah showed the finger of God" (book eight, pg. 256).

In the vision of Zechariah chapter two, Shout for Joy (which is read this Shabbat as well as on the Shabbat of Hanukah), the angel explains the vision's meaning to Zechariah with the famous verse, Not with valor nor with force, but with My spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.

How, then, does the Menorah express this spiritual power, and how does it constitute a replacement for valor and force?

The description of the Menorah's appearance is found in Shemot 25:32: Six branches shall issue from its sides; three branches of the Menorah from its one side, and three branches of the Menorah from its other side. It should be mentioned that no artifact similar to the Menorah was found in the possession of the other ancient peoples of that time - it seems to be unique to Israel. The branches that spread out upwards are reminiscent of a tree with its branches; perhaps in the same way that the Torah is compared with a tree - it is a tree of life for those who grasp it. On the other hand, man is compared to a tree - for man is a tree of the field. The comparison between man and tree is supported by the form of the upper skeleton - the backbone and the ribs spreading from it. The Torah offers no details regarding the base of the Menorah, and fails to give its dimensions, although it had done so for the other vessels of the Tabernacle. According to the Sages (Menahot 28b), the Menorah reached a height of eighteen average human hand-breadths.

The Kabalistic and Hassidic literature cite the matters of the Tabernacle as alluding to man in his entirety. The altar is found in the court. The table, the Menorah, and the incense altar are in the Sanctuary - a place of greater sanctity than the court. Similarly, man is formed of matter and spirit. Some of his organs are specifically devoted to his physical existence, such as the digestive track, bones, hands, and feet. These are represented by the outer altar, while spirit largely involves parts found in the head: the brain, ears, eyes, nostrils and mouth, which are represented by the vessels of the Sanctuary. The sense of taste is represented by the table, smell by the incense altar, and vision by the Menorah. A comparison has been drawn between the Menorah and all of the parts of the head that make up the human spirit - their number is six: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils parallel the Menorah's six branches. The brain and mouth constitute a kind of central pillar. This is also alluded to by the tefillin worn on the head, which has a three-headed letter shin on one side, and a four-headed shin on the other. Together they give us seven - like the seven branches of the Menorah. This line of thought also explains why many prayer books include a certain passage to be recited after the placement of the tefillin on the head: "Let the goodly oil be poured on the seven branches of the Menorah, to provide goodness to your creatures."

The Menorah also symbolizes equality, stability, and peace - neither side is preferred to the other, and a central line binds together everything that stems from it. It reminds us of the opening words of the benediction of peace, composed of twin letters shin­ - sim shalom ["grant peace"]. It continues with the petition: "Let our Father bless us all as one with the light of His face, for by the light of Your face You gave us the Torah of Life, love of kindness, charity, mercy, life, and peace." This continues the comparison between tree, man, and Menorah mentioned above: It is a tree of life... and all its paths are peace.

Some prayer books (Sephardic and others) include two psalms to be recited after the lighting of the Hanukkah candles. Their orientations are dissimilar. Psalm 30, A psalm of David. A song for the dedication of the House. I extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up... treats David's escape from a personal crisis. It is written in the first person and anyone in similar circumstances can identify with it. The second psalm is the 67^th: For the leader; with instrumental music. A psalm. A song. May God be gracious to us and bless us. It deals with the international situation, with world peace stemming from common recognition of the Creator, as its central verse states: Nations will exult and shout for joy, for You rule the peoples with equity, You guide the peoples of the earth. Selah. (This verse also appears in various drawings of the Menorah that are found in places of worship, because it is composed of seven verses and contains a total of forty-nine letters, which is why it is also read before the counting of the omer.) Despite the differing orientations of the two psalms, they may complement each other. Especially today, there is a close interaction between the world situation and the feeling of security of the individual, family, or particular nation. The reverse is also true: the individual's deeds can affect and determine which way the world situation will turn - to better or to worse, as the RaMBaM explains in Hilkhot Teshuva 3:4.

The Menorah in the Temple testified that the Divine Presence dwelled in Israel - to the extent that the Temple fulfilled the mission given it by Solomon and by the prophet Isaiah: to be a house of prayer for all nations. The Hanukiyah - which resembles the Menorah - that is lit by every "man and his household" on Hanukah can create a friendly environment that begins with the individual and his family, moves outwards through the particular nation and spreads to world peace, which is the vision of redemption: Not with valor nor with force, but with My spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.

Avner Roei is a member of Kibbutz Saad and is writing a doctoral dissertation on Jewish history in the periods of the Second Temple and the Mishnah.

 

Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord put His spirit upon them: there is No Monopoly on Spirituality

We were instructed that, it is fundamental to the highest spiritual leadership that no one was given special privilege ("monopoly") over spirit. God-given spiritual talent is independent of position; it is not a class privilege. The very least one of the nation may be endowed with the Lord's spirit, just the same as one who serves in the most elevated role of the royal court.

(Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch)

 

Manna as an Expression of Faith and Kindness

Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai would say: the Torah was given to be expounded upon only by those who ate manna. What does this mean? He would sit and explicate, not knowing where his food and drink came from, nor where his clothing and covering came from. The Torah was given to be expounded only by those who eat Manna, and after them to those who eat the terumah.

(Mekhilta BeShalah, Massekhet de'Yasisu, 2)

 

That is why the Torah was given only to those who ate manna, for that is the path followed by all those who busy themselves with God's Torah and are disgusted by excess luxuries that are destined to be consumed by worms. That which was allowed for Shabbat was excluded from such luxuries: it did not spoil and had no worms in it, for it was a sign that one should save some of his food for the day that is completely Shabbat - for the World to Come. One does this by sharing his food with the hungry. That is the eternal preservation it did not spoil and had no worms in it. This allusion is enough for those who fear the Lord and think of His name. The wicked shall not understand, but the enlightened will understand eventually. To awaken people to this, God commanded that a jar of manna be set for a remembrance before the Pact - the place of the Tablets - in order to announce that the Tablets only make a pact with those who eat manna.

(Keli Yakar on Shemot 16:18)

 

Moses was a very humble man

Moses approached the fog - this resulted from his humility, as is said, Moses was a very humble man. Scripture tells us that whoever is humble, will eventually spread Shekhina - the Divine Presence - among men on earth, as is written, For thus said He who high aloft forever dwells, whose name is holy, and it says, The spirit of God is upon me. And it says all these were created by my hand, and it says True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit. Whoever is prideful causes the earth to become impure, and removes the Shekhina, as is said I cannot endure the haughty and proud man. All the prideful are termed an abomination, as is written, Every haughty person is a abomination before God. Idolatry is called an abomination as is written, You shall not bring abomination into your house. Just as idolatry contaminates the Land and dispels the Shekhina. Moses approached the fog which was within three partitions - darkness, cloud, and fog - darkness on the outside, cloud on the inside, fog yet further inside, as is written, and Moses approached the fog.

(Mekhilta, Yitro, Massekhet D'Bahodesh, 9)

 

...Human pride and arrogance stems from their not recognizing their standing before God. That is why, unlike any other prophet, Moses was uniquely called very humble (and not merely humble).

(Prof. Y. Leibowitz, Sheva Shanim shel Sihot al Parashat ha'Shavu'a)

            

Readers respond

I found something strange and surprising in David Malkiel's article on the story of Nadav and Avihu (Shabbat Shalom, Parashat Aharei Mot - Kedoshim 5766). If I understand him correctly, he interprets the tragic deaths of Aaron's sons in the light of three assumptions: 1) The main goal of life - at least for Nadav and Avihu - was to prepare themselves for life in the World to Come. 2) The only thing that keeps most people from killing themselves (or at least, from shortening their lives) is their uncertainty regarding the existence of an afterlife, which creates the fear of death being total annihilation. 3) When "fire descended from heaven" Nadav and Avihu underwent a great and intense religious experience in which the secrets of heaven and earth were revealed to them, including sure knowledge of the afterlife.

Modern Jewish thinkers are wont to view this line of thinking as being fundamentally Christian; they claim that Judaism is mostly interested in earthly life in the concrete world. True, this claim is only half-correct: Kabbalistic and philosophical works from the middle ages express great interest in the afterlife; the afterlife also has an important role in the dicta of the Sages (e.g., Rabbi Ya'akov's statement in Avot 4:21: "This world is like an entrance hall to the World to Come'). However, all of those discussions are post-biblical. The Sages had to work very hard (for example, in the chapter "Helek" of Sanhedrin) to find a scriptural basis for the notion of the resurrection of the dead. In addition, even those who indulged in lengthy descriptions of the World to Come saw it as a reward to be enjoyed in its own good time. They most certainly did not suggest that anyone actively shorten his earthly life in order to enter it, as Malkhiel suggests had been done by Aaron's sons.

The main thing is that there are different schools of thought within Judaism: one of these tends more to dualism and draws a line dividing the world of spirit from the world of matter, and strives to overcome the rift between the soul and its divine origin. The other school is more integrative. It emphasizes the unity of the universe, and tries to redeem and sanctify this world. The latter school views earthly life as the proper arena for human action and for the observance of the halakha (see, for instance, Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik's Halakhic Man, especially chapters seven through eleven). I think that a movement such as Netivot Shalom, which inscribes concrete, realizable values - such as the pursuit of peace and social justice - upon its banner, clearly belongs in the latter school of thought.

Rabbi Yehonatan Chipman

Jerusalem

 

Editor's comment:

I think it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between exegesis and the valorization of certain personalities or spiritual paths.

The article's take on what happened to Aaron's sons and to Ben Azai does not necessarily celebrate their path and urge that we withdraw from this world. Rather, it means to explain the motivation of unbridled spiritual fervor. This "Holy Fire," which is also a "strange fire," is certainly dangerous and the Torah warns us appropriately of its dangers.

Indeed, we definitely stand for a brand of religious Zionism which strives to sanctify life. However, we cannot excuse ourselves from the need to remain aware of other attitudes towards the worship of God and to listen to separatist strains in the religious community that are anchored in uncompromising spiritual fervor.

 

 

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Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom is a movement dedicated to the advancement of a civil society in Israel. It is committed to promoting the ideals of tolerance, pluralism, and justice, concepts which have always been central to Jewish tradition and law.

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